Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will resist the draft proposal from the European Commission which would allow 0.9 per cent. contamination of organic foods and feeding-stuffs by genetically modified commodities.

Lord Bach: The Government will be consulting stakeholders on the proposed threshold for adventitious GM presence before deciding what our position should be. We are also committed to exploring whether a threshold lower than 0.9 per cent. should apply for organic production.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government use the international productivity comparisons produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest ONS release on 23 February 2006 (available at www.statistics.gov.uk) showed that, on the output per worker basis, the productivity gap between the UK and Germany closed in 2002. This means that, on average, a UK worker now produces as much output as a German worker.
	There has been good progress from 1995 to 2004 in closing the productivity gap with France and Germany, on both the output per worker and output per hour worked bases for measuring productivity. The UK is also the only country in the G7 to have matched the impressive productivity growth rates of the US over this period.
	Improving UK productivity performance still further is key to the UK's response to globalisation, as competitive pressures on UK firms intensify. Moreover, productivity gains are likely to be the main source for continued improvement in UK living standards. The Government will therefore maintain their intense focus on productivity, with policies working across the five drivers of productivity: investment, innovation, skills, enterprise and competition.
	
		Table 1: GDP per worker
		
			 Year France Germany Japan UK USA G7 G7 excluding UK 
			 1995 123 111 97 100 130 117 119 
			 1996 122 110 96 100 129 116 118 
			 1997 121 107 94 100 128 115 116 
			 1998 121 105 91 100 128 114 115 
			 1999 120 105 90 100 131 115 116 
			 2000 118 104 90 100 128 113 115 
			 2001 117 102 89 100 126 111 112 
			 2002 112 99 86 100 122 108 109 
			 2003 112 100 88 100 124 110 110 
			 2004 111 100 89 100 127 111 111 
		
	
	Note: index, UK=100
	Source: Office for National Statistics
	
		Table 2: GDP per hour worked
		
			 Year France Germany Japan UK USA G7 G7 excluding UK 
			 1995 137 126 89 100 120 114 115 
			 1996 135 126 88 100 120 114 115 
			 1997 135 124 87 100 118 112 113 
			 1998 135 121 85 100 118 111 112 
			 1999 133 122 85 100 120 112 113 
			 2000 134 121 85 100 117 111 111 
			 2001 135 119 84 100 116 110 111 
			 2002 131 116 81 100 112 106 106 
			 2003 131 116 82 100 114 107 107 
			 2004 129 116 83 100 116 108 108 
		
	
	Note: index, UK=100
	Source: Office for National Statistics
	These tables show how various countries' productivity levels relate to the UK level in each year. For example, French productivity in output per worker terms was 123 per cent. of the UK level in 1995 and 111 per cent. in 2004, implying that productivity growth over the period was higher in the UK than in France.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government have made no formal response to the report.
	Effective and well focused regulation can play a vital role in correcting market failures, promoting fairness and increasing competition. Society expects the Government to provide protection for the general public, consumers and employees consistent with the best international standards, and these expectations grow over time. However, the Government believe that inefficient regulation can impose a significant burden on business, and is pursuing a programme of reforms to deliver better regulation.

Lord Bach: Village shops are important to rural communities in providing goods and services, as well as crucial social contact. Some of these enterprises are successfully run by volunteers. They may be eligible for support from the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES), part of Defra's England Rural Development Programme, where they have strong community backing and a business plan which establishes the need for the grant.
	The Government have also assisted local services by extending mandatory rate relief at 50 per cent. to include sole village public houses, petrol stations and village food shops under the village shop scheme. Qualifying premises are entitled to a 50 per cent. reduction in their business rates bills, and local authorities have the discretion to top-up all other non-domestic premises up to 100 per cent. provided the rateable value is £14,000 or less.